Sewing two layers - There is an easement required - What works best?

[baileyuph]

Doing some furniture sewing where one pattern is longer and has to be eased into the other.

Most upholstery shops do not use the same sewing equipment as factories for doing
these requirements -- so it would be interesting to hear about your technique.

For example; doing just that now where one piece has to be eased into the other piece about an
inch over a 6 or 7 inch seam (curved seam to give more details).

Anyone done this lately? 

Doyle

[MinUph]

Can't say lately Doyle but have done this many times. If it is a long seam that needs to blend I would use elastic. Have some reference marks to go by and sew some soft thin elastic on the large piece. Stretch it to the reference marks and sew. The elastic can be cut out after if you don't want the thickness left behind. But mostly doesn't matter being there. If it is a short one section job I just allow the large section to gather by doing it manually between reference marks.

[gene]

I have sewn elastic banding to the longer piece of fabric and then sewn the two fabrics together. I have sewn the elastic to the longer piece of fabric and then pined it to the shorter piece and then sewn them together. It worked easier to pin before sewing. The biggest mistake I made was pulling the elastic too tight. I haven't done a lot of these so it's all guess work for me in sewing on the elastic banding. I'm sure if I did a lot of them I would figure out an appropriate amount of stretch in the elastic to use.

I've tried to pin without sewing on the elastic and it was not as nice as with the elastic.

I've used the differential on my serger to get the two pieces together and then sewed them with my sewing machine with the 1/2 inch allowance. I've only done this a few times and it was guess work with the settings. If I had more of this type business I would spend the time to read the manual and watch more videos on youtube. I think I watch one video just to know what the knobs did so I wouldn't have to read the manual.

They both worked out OK. Again, if I had a lot of this type work I would be able to figure out which technique, or some other technique, worked best and then used that all the time.

Also, when there isn't a lot of stretch in the fabric, a lot of gather is more noticeable and I try to get the gathering to be consistent. The serger and pinning the elastic banding both helped with this consistency.

gene

[gene]

I was typing while you posted Paul. The reference marks are a great idea. I think my pins do the same thing but I need to take the time to do the pinning. I wonder if I'm being too neat when I don't need to be.

gene

[MinUph]

You might be too neet gene. Elastic doesn't have to be measured as long as it gathers enough. The stretching between known marks is what does the trick. You need the reference marks or you don't know where the pieces should fit. With elastic a trick is to be sure to stretch it evenly throughout the whole piece or it won't be even when you pull on it during the final seam.
  I very seldom use pins. Just seems like a waste of time. I see pins as a drapery thing LOL. I tease my guy Bernie about all the pins he uses. Just like to jerk his chain sometimes. Maybe yours too. :)

[65Buick]

I have no idea what you guys are talking about. Does someone have a picture?

[SteveA]

[MinUph]

I have no idea what you guys are talking about. Does someone have a picture?

I have many many pictures what would you like to see?

[MinUph]

65 I had to.
  What we are discussing is when there are two pieces of fabric say a back on a recliner and there is a seam in the mid point where the bottom section of the seam is smooth and the top is gathered to give the headrest some bulge. Sewing these together is done like this discussion. Might not be the best example but you should be able to picture it.

[65Buick]

😛 i think i know what you're talking about. You sew in elastic so you can gather. I did that once when I first learned to sew.